Connors In Spotlight In Wimbledon Semi

July 3, 1987|By Melissa Isaacson of The Sentinel Staff

WIMBLEDON, ENGLAND — Thirteen years ago, a cocky 21-year-old American named Jimmy Connors raised the ire of the staid Centre Court crowd when he embarrassed 39-year-old Ken Rosewall in straight sets to win his first Wimbledon title.

Today, the situation will be almost eerily reversed. Connors, 34, takes to the same court in a semifinal match against Pat Cash, a brash 22-year-old Australian in search of his first Wimbledon title.

The crowd, still staid as ever, will be rooting for Jimbo this time around, as Connors goes after his seventh semifinal victory in 11 tries and his third singles championship.

In today's other semifinal, second-seeded Ivan Lendl will take on fourth- seeded Stefan Edberg.

Cash will find himself in an unusual situation. After last year, when he reached the semifinals for the first time just a month after undergoing an appendectomy, he would seem the natural crowd favorite. But against Connors, it might seem that even the gods are against him.

Surely that's the way Connors' last two opponents have felt. Connors defeated Mikael Pernfors on Tuesday with a performance observers are calling one of the greatest comebacks in tournament history. He was down 6-1, 6-1, 4-1 at one point.

One day later, showing not a trace of fatigue, Connors rolled over Slobodan Zivojinovic, one of the best grass-court players in the game and a Wimbledon semifinalist last year.

''I think if Connors plays Pat Cash like he played against me, he has a good chance of beating Cash,'' Zivojinovic said. ''I think Jimmy is playing well enough to win Wimbledon.''

Against Zivojinovic, Connors returned serve exceptionally well. Against Cash, one of the best servers in the game, particularly on grass, he will have to do the same.

Three weeks ago, at the Queen's Club grass-court tournament, Connors defeated Cash in the semifinals, 7-6, 6-4.

''I think at Queen's, I was very sluggish and he returned very well,'' Cash said. ''I'm moving much better this tournament.''

''We played a heck of a match at Queen's,'' Connors said. ''But since then, he has had good match competition and has played well on the grass. But, then, so have I.''

For the first time in a long time, Connors is not just a odds-on favorite but also a sentimental one. It even seems like Cash will be rooting for him.

''Jimmy's a great player, one of the all-time greats, and they live on,'' Cash said. ''It's fantastic that he's playing as well as he has in his career.''

Lendl, continuing to claim he is a poor grass-

court player, is appearing in his eighth consecutive Grand Slam semifinal and second Wimbledon semifinal in a row. He has yet to win the title.

''It is very hard to learn to play on grass and it takes a very long time,'' Lendl said. ''I would not say that I have mastered it. I'm still learning. You always have doubts about certain things.''

Mats Wilander, who lost to Cash in the quarterfinals, said he likes Edberg's chances.

''I think Edberg has a great chance against Lendl,'' Wilander said. ''He has always played well against him, and Lendl has trouble returning Edberg's serve because it kicks high to his backhand. Also, the drier the court gets, the more it favors Edberg.''

Henri Leconte, who lost to Lendl in the quarterfinals, sees it differently. ''I think he Lendl is ready to win his first Wimbledon,'' Leconte said. ''I think, physically and technically, he's the best.''

This will be the second meeting on grass between Edberg and Lendl. In the '85 Australian Open semifinals, Edberg won, 6-7, 7-5, 6-1, 4-6, 9-7.